Which is how I signed up for the Beach and Bay Half Marathon.
I wrestled with this one a lot. Running around Mission Bay isn't my favorite, because for a lot of it, there's no designated course. And 13 miles of that sounds...not so fun.
But spoiler alert - I really enjoyed this race. It was flat, easy, and a very pleasant way to spend a morning with beautiful views.
I got there early enough to secure the closest parking - which was still about half a mile a way from the start.
Their definition of "joggers" is very different than mine. But I jumped in there anyway.
As I mentioned before, the course was really pretty. It ran the opposite way that most of the Mission Bay races start out, which meant we didn't begin with Fiesta Island. We headed out over the bay and into Mission Beach.
It was really nice to run along Mission Beach. I've done that with friends before and the flat beachside path is lovely. I was a little worried about cross traffic, since it's not like it was closed to the public, but we all managed to work together.
And then we were heading back to Mission Bay. I was feeling pretty good for most of the run and enjoying a faster pace than my last two back-to-back halfs.
The last 3 miles were the hardest for me, because I started feeling a little PTSD as we ran the same path I had done earlier in the month at Sharon's Ride - where I was running at top speed trying to keep up with Thatkid's scooter. So I let myself slow it down a bit. But this is also where the race really pulled through. All of a sudden there was a water stop every half mile. As if they knew! At mile 11 there was also a cold wet washcloth for every runner. The weather was perfect for the race, but it's still hot when you run!
I ended up reaching the very first goal in my half marathon plan - I finished in less than 2.5 hours!
Sounds like a super fun race! Glad it exceeded expectations.
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